The Future Of Star Wars Won't Rely On Legacy Characters, Promises 'Rogue One' Screenwriter Gary Whitta

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story co-screenwriter Gary Whitta claims that the future Star Wars movies won't rely on the legacy characters from the original Star Wars trilogy. Find out what he said, after the jump.

When talking to screenwriter Gary Whitta while promoting the upcoming Rogue One blu-ray release, ComingSoon asked about the future of the Star Wars movies and their reliance on legacy characters created by George Lucas. Here was his response:

I think you've already seen us get 90% of the way there with Rogue One. Yes you see Leia, yes you see the Death Star and Vader, because those are elements of that story and they belong there, you can't tell that story without those characters. But for the most part, 90% of that story is completely new characters. Completely new planets and places you've never seen before. .... The next spin-off is 'Han Solo,' that's another familiar character, but I think increasingly you're going to see... One of the thing things we really want to do at Lucasfilm is create a universe and not keep relying on old legacy characters. We've got Rey and Finn and Kylo Ren, they've already introduced a new generation of characters. Whatever kind of Star Wars films they're making 10 or 20 years from now, I don't think they're going to be relying on the same legacy story elements as we have in the past.

This excites me, but Whitta was quick to add that while he thinks it would be cool to see something entirely new, he's "speaking purely as a fan" and "obviously have no idea what their plans are for the franchise."

"I did my small piece of it, but it makes sense to me that you don't want to keep telling the same story over and over again. You want to tell new stories."

It makes sense that the Skywalker saga movies won't rely on the legacy characters. Han Solo is dead, as is Darth Vader. With Carrie Fisher's passing in real life, I don't think her character Princess Leia will live on much longer in the saga. Chewbacca was already showing his age in Force Awakens, and once Luke Skywalker trains Rey, I don't see him remaining a significant character central to the story. So I do think he's right, that the Skywalker saga will largely follow new characters in new adventures, even if there are some legacies to explore (heck, it is the "Skywalker Saga).

One of the most disappointing things about Disney's plans for the Star Wars standalone movies is that they seem to be focusing on legacy characters and prequel stories rather than new people, creatures, and droids in new adventures across the galaxy.

Han Solo's origin story is up next, and we know Lucasfilm was originally planning a Boba Fett movie to follow after that. There have been additional rumors surrounding Yoda and Obi-wan films as well. But the Star Wars galaxy is huge; I want to explore it and see new characters and new adventures. I hope we get more Star Wars standalone movies that introduce new characters and explore new corners of this galaxy. Even if they were to explore say the Knights of Ren in a Star Wars Story, that would be another "prequel" story.